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Rogers Place Tops Out

The project team gathered for a group shot during the topping out ceremony. Image courtesy PCL Construction Management Inc.

Construction Manager PCL Construction placed the final steel beam atop of Rogers Place, the new home of the National Hockey League’s Edmonton Oilers, on August 25. Thornton Tomasetti is providing structural design services to HOK for the 18,500-seat arena located in downtown Edmonton, Canada. The facility will be a major entertainment center that, in addition to hockey, will host concerts and various other events. Its main long-span roof consists of two primary queen post trusses with a box truss for the upper chord. These stable chord elements allowed for simplified erection of the spans. To adhere to the building’s overall geometry, the trusses could not be centered on a column bay; instead, one side bears on a stiff transfer beam to the nearby column. Certain columns, including one carrying a main roof truss, are further complicated by the need to span nearly 20 meters unbraced from the main to the upper concourse. A winter garden bridge structure, with tall glass walls and ceilings that soar up to 25 meters, spans 40 meters over a major roadway. To avoid unsightly exterior expansion joints, the bridge structure is fully integrated with the arena. Slide bearings and hidden expansion joints are located below the bridge at the far side of the roadway. The arena’s steel superstructure is supported on flat plate, cast-in-place concrete construction at the event level and a single-story of below-grade parking. The building bears on drilled caissons. Principal & Newark Office Director Chris Christoforou and Principal Stan Welton are leading a team that includes staff from our Denver, New York and New Jersey offices. It is planned to open in 2016.